Author of the Queen City Boys books

On the occasion of the full moon, I ramble on about nothing

I’m sitting around reading open tabs in my browser. I often open things to read later, and then leave them open until I get to them. Right now my open tabs list is at 36 tabs. Time to read and close. And of course tell you about a few of them.

The Situation 2010 is supposed to descend upon middle Tennessee tomorrow. If you believe all the TV news insanity we are supposed to have 1″ to 12″ of snow (most saying around 4″) and they announced around 5 pm today that they are closing Davidson (and surrounding) county schools. This is the second time this year they’ve closed school at the threat of snow (last time it never even really snowed, I mean maybe 1″, maybe, if I’m being generous). I am actually worried about it a lttle though. Just because it supposed to rain, then ice storm, then snow. Trifecta of weather badness. Actually already considering walking to work.

I am 100% behind re-using and repurposing almost anything. I love seeing the creative ways other people up with to do this. I read many blogs and websites about this exact concept. I’m just convinced that an expensive print magazine is the right vehicle for this. I mean, gee, it’s printed on recycled paper? So? Unless you are going to to reuse every single page of the magazine for something after you’ve read it, it seems like it’s somehow missing the entire point. (Hmmm, yeah, I could get behind it if each issue ended with a project that would reuse the whole magazine.)

London’s Unpackaged market. I’m very interested in this. Packaging really angers me. Not, I guess to the point that I stop buying things. But why do new jeans need nince tags on them? Why does toothpaste come in a box? Why do those stupid hardshell plastic packages exist at all? (I know the answer to most of those questions is: to make shipping easier.) But I really don’t like it. It seems so overly prevalent. I have confused many a store clerk by saying I don’t want a bag, and when they give me one anyway, I remove my two items from it and carry them out in my hands. And yes I do often foget my huge stack of reuseable grocery bags and have to get more bags. I’m not perfect. But I’m mad at myself when I forget. I’m angry when I purchase something and I have to throw away plastic wrap, a box, an inner plastic casing and/or assorted other junk included for my “protection” or to make shipping easier. And I do agree with some of the commenters in the link above that it’s BS to have overpriced, trendy urban markets that are “hip” that are basically doing what regular/farmer’s markets do in all corners of the world. On the other hand, if one was near me, I’d shop at it. I also occasionally consider moving somewhere where there isn’t much packaging and just shopping at street markets.

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Today’s picture I took in Oct 2005. While hiking in the Pyrenees we crossed an 800 year old bridge and looked down onto this scene. I love Catalonia.